New York Islanders

Team Related News

The New York Islanders reportedly made a serious push to acquire Ryan O'Reilly from Buffalo before the Sabres traded him to the St. Louis Blues instead.

The Islanders watched star forward John Tavares leave the team as an unrestricted free agent, so they were in a position where they badly needed to inject some high-end talent. The fact that the Islanders ultimately failed to get O'Reilly was a second blow on an already bad day for them, but it wouldn't be surprising to see the Islanders continue to serve as serious bidders on the trade market until they are able to pull off something big.

There are reportedly at least three teams showing interest in hiring Barry Trotz.

The one that we know is on that list is the New York Islanders, which isn't surprising given that they have a vacancy. Trotz is presumably looking for a big contract after he walked away from an automatic two-year extension with the Washington Capitals that was below market value.

Ilya Kovalchuk is reportedly likely to sign a two or three-year deal in the ballpark of $6.25 million annually.

That would be in line with the contract Patrick Marleau got with Toronto last summer. As for the destination, winning is reportedly Kovalchuk's focus, but of course that doesn't automatically rule out a lot of teams as it comes down to whether or not he sees them as a winner. For example, the Islanders missed the playoffs last season, but Kovalchuk appreciates how Lou Lamoriello handled his surprise exit from the New Jersey Devils and has apparently remained in contact with his former general manager. Now that Lamoriello is with the Islanders, is it possible that Kovalchuk might be interest in going there? It would be intriguing, especially if the Islanders succeeded in re-signing John Tavares as well. The Rangers, who also missed the playoffs, are another team that's been commonly linked to Kovalchuk.

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